The Lost Prince
by TheElementist
Summary: A universe where there's no Geass, but there is a new power; one that brings man and nature together. Lelouch, faced with the same challenges, sold his soul to a dark organization, the Syndicate. Now a puppet of the Syndicate, he will fulfill their missions as an assassin while at the same time, proceed with his plans to bring his father and his Empire down. LelouchxHarem READ A/N
1. Chapter 1

**THE LOST PRINCE**

* * *

 **THE FOLLOWING IS AN ADULT FAN-FICTION AS DICTATED BY THE RATING, so I don't want kids or teens (16 below) reading this.**

/

 **A/N: (very important so please read) **

**WELCOME** to this fic. This is my second crack at Code Geass fic; the first one is on pause right now. English is not my first language, so please bear that in mind.

/

 **Now for the rules:**

 **NO GEASS POWER** [It's very convenient so I won't use it.]

 **ELEMENTAL POWERS** [A mixture of Avatar and Darker than Black] _Tried including Naruto but too much work with the hand-signs._

 **CROSS-OVER from different anime** [But I will try to stick with CG.]

 **CC won't be in this fic, sorry CC fans.**

 **Will contain some OCs**

 **Harem [so everyone is fair game].**

Lemon might appear.

/

So that's it! **READ, ENJOY** and please **REVIEW.** Any review is fine; constructive, light, whatever…I just want to know what you think.

 **P.S. If you think I own Code Geass, then you're crazy.**

P.P.S. I will fix any grammar errors as I see them.

/

"Talking"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter 1: THE 42** **nd**

* * *

Around August of 2010; Imperial District

"Huh, I'm so bored." Cornelia groaned as she hugged her pillow, her face snuggling in it. She pondered on what to do. A ray of sunlight beamed through her window, striking her eyes. She squinted, but gazed back at the window. Two robin birds came into view. They chirped and flapped around each other on the overgrown branch tapping her window. They seemed lively, happy, and together. She raised her head and stared for a while, watching them sing, talk, and dance around each other on the same branch that she sometimes would touch every morning after rising.

Their playful antics brought a smile on her face, but left a hole in a heart. Her smile slowly faded. She felt hollow within; like she was missing something, someone. Her head sank back into her pillow, her downcast eyes stared at the wrinkled intricate of her bed sheets, her heart felt lonely. These birds had each other. Who did she have?

Time went by and she silently thought about the people in her life: her family, friends, superiors, and others; many she met daily; others she would meet once in a while, but one she longed to see again.

 _Lelouch!_ She wondered how he was. Almost a year and a half since his decampment to the island nation and only monthly letters were their form of contact. Their father didn't allow any form of physical contact between him and the family. Formal letters were the only loophole and even that had tighter ropes around it.

Thinking about him brought another unpleasant and painful memory to the surface; the late Empress and her assassination. It was a moment that shocked the world. Their home was supposed to be the safest place in the Empire, yet her idol had succumbed to a heinous act; the perpetrators never found. It burned her gut just thinking about. Only a lower life-form would kill someone as gracious as her.

Cornelia gritted her teeth in rage, but remembered that the pain she felt was nothing compared to the Empress' abandoned son. A part of her felt ashamed for not doing enough to protect him or at least in good faith, finding the truth of her demise for his sake. But the path to the truth was blocked; partly from the actions of the patriarch of the family. Thus, the many stones about her death would forever be left unturned and with each passing day, this incident that happened almost two years ago would become cold and colder.

Cornelia shut her watery eyes and hid her face in her pillow, willing her emotions back. She was different now; a captain in the Army. She couldn't be seen crying; not even in silence or alone in her own chamber.

With her face pressed on the body-sized pillow, she took shallow breaths, trying to wear herself out. _You need to be strong Cornelia. You're a leader, a leader of valiant men and women. You must not be fragile. You can't show weakness. You have to be strong, be strong for your family, for your comrades, Lady Marianne, and her son._

She exhaled, steeling her resolve and dispelling all her blue thoughts.

Breaking apart from her pillow, she sat on her bed. "I need to find something to do or I will depress myself to death."

Actually she wanted someone to do something with. Scratching an itch in her tussled purple mane, she got to her feet and went to her extravagant closet. A plethora of attire littered inside the large walk-in closet. "Eeesh, I need to clean this place one of these days." She kicked a purple nightgown out of her way as she walked in.

Sifting through some clothing, she fished out a boogie short. Holding it in front, her eyes observed the black, very tight, tiny shorts. But her mind was on the silence which filled the villa."They all went out!" She remembered her mother dragging Nunnally and company out somewhere; even the two maids were forced to stick along.

"Huh!" Just thinking about that energetic woman taxed her mind. Sliding on her boogie shorts, Cornelia grabbed a skirt and after wearing it over her boogie shots, her eyes spotted a pink tank top lying on a pile. _PINK!_ Her eyes widened. Not everyone was snatched away by her mother. There was one more in the villa with her on that late-morning. A devilish smile appeared on her face.

* * *

/

* * *

Different Scene

Inside a large briefing room at Joint-Base Angers—a military base housing many different units within the Britannia Military and the Royal Guards—a meeting was about to begin; held by the Squad Leader of the 42nd Armored Infantry Squadron, Major Julian Rhodes. A sturdy, masculine dark skinned man with irises the same shade as his skin complexion. He towered over many and his glare would silence most. But despite his daunting figure, he was very understandable; approachable actually, but not truly talkative.

Despite having called this unscheduled meeting, he was the last to arrive. Entering the fairly lit room, he scowled across, spotting many empty seats, but didn't lose temper. After all many within his squadron were away on their break, including one of his two captains.

Catching a glimpse of someone approaching, he turned towards the figure. "1st Captain Darlton." The major nodded to greet his 2nd in command; one of Brigadier General Andreas Darlton's adopted sons; Alfred Darlton.

"Major…..." The blonde Darlton saluted in return. "Everyone is here, sir." He informed as the major walked past him, heading for his instructor's desk in front of the room at the corner.

 _Everyone?_ Major Rhodes eyed the occupants once more, slowing for the blonde captain to catch up. "The 2nd Captain," Rhodes asked, glancing at his 1st captain now standing beside him. "She's still on her leave of absence?"

"Yes sir, 2nd Captain Cornelia hasn't returned since she left a week ago." The blonde captain pointed to Cornelia's usual seating, now devoid of her presence.

Not uttering a word, Rhodes gazed at the 2nd captain's squad; all her five members had grouped themselves together at one side of the room, near the entrance he came through. _This meeting is too important; too important to not have her here. What a bad time for her to take a leave._ Rhodes' forehead furrowed, deepening his frown. He worried for the new captain of the 42nd squadron.

/

At the age of 16, Cornelia was a very young captain in the army; actually the second youngest to ever be a captain in the military's four decades year old fleet of Knightmare Frames. She was second only to the late Empress Marianne who was a captain at 14 and become a squadron leader or a major at 15.

Having been in the squadron for almost 6 months now, Major Rhodes was hoping for a timely progress for his new young captain. _Someone as young as her needs time to grow into her new role._ But times were changing. A storm was brewing and the 42nd Squadron were pointing their sail towards it.

/

"Well then Captain Darlton, make sure she…"

"Sir," One of Cornelia's squad mates interrupted Major Rhodes. Rising from his seat, the bespectacled man saluted the Major. "Sir, if I may interrupt..." He waited for the Major's permission, hand still saluting.

"Go ahead, Guilford." The Major nodded for him to end his salutation.

"Captain Cornelia appointed me to be the co-captain of our element and stand in her place if there was ever a need to." Guilford revealed.

"She did?"

"Yes sir, I have her signature permission if you need…." His hand reached for the insides of his squadron dark green jacket.

"No need, soldier." Rhodes halted him. "It's her team and thus her responsibility to assign roles to you guys." Rhodes eyes met Guilford's. "You have my permission."

"Thank you, sir." Guilford once more saluted before sitting back down.

/

Rhodes studied the five individuals that made up Cornelia's team:

Gilbert Guilford; disciplined and very astute in leadership—Cornelia won the captaincy spot from him because of her piloting skills _But it felt like he went soft on her._

Villetta Nu; the other female in this element. Very intelligent in battle tactics, but not strong in leadership roles. _She's only 17. As time goes, she will grow more into that role._

Jeremiah Gottwald; a very loyal individual, especially to the royal family, and a gifted pilot; second to their captain. _He can be too fired up all times._

Kewell Soresi; loyal as well, but very pragmatic and a keen sense for electronics. _Only joined Cornelia's squad because he couldn't stand his sister in my element._ The major worried about their continuing discords. _Was it a good idea to have them in the same squadron?_

And finally their sharp shooter, Lockon Stratos; a great marksmen on the battlefield but very easy going and lazy in general. _He's too relaxed for his own good._

/

Done assessing them, Rhodes took his sights off them. "Okay then that solves it. With Guilford filling in for the 2nd captain, everything is in place." The major nodded to his 1st Captain before parting away. "Let's start the meeting." He announced as he went to his instructor's desk.

* * *

/

Standing in the front, Rhodes pressed his tablet device, bringing the large screen projector behind him to life. The insignia of the 42nd Armored Infantry Squadron boasted in the center of the bluish LED screen. The insignia of the 42nd was a crest shaped emblem. Inside it, a green painted female figure with long flowing hair, kneeing on a large tree branch. She held a bow with a sword as an arrow and was already taking aim; below the insignia, the words _Glaston Raiders_ in quotes; the nickname of the 42nd.

Taking a spot behind a podium nearby, Rhodes hid his tablet from view. "Okay people, I will get straight to the point." The twenty something bodies seated, waited anxiously. Never had they had an unscheduled meeting before. The severity of the moment weighed on their minds.

"This meeting and any information mention from here forth is a Level 4 classified information."

"Level 4?" Lockon murmured.

"It means the information is classified as secret." Villetta whispered to man beside her; her gaze, however, fixed to front.

"You two be quiet!" Guilford whispered at the two behind him.

Rhodes waited for them to resettle. "We have been given orders to deploy." His words raised some eyebrows. The 42nd rarely deployed from their home base here in Pennsylvania. And when they did, it would be to the beautiful seaside of Florida for weapons testing or to some cold forest spot in the state of Quebec, up north in the Canadian province; those were for training purpose. "This is not a training deployment, equipment testing, or a base relocation." Rhodes watched as their faces furrowed from confusion. "This is a war-footing deployment." A cacophony of murmurs erupted in the room.

" _War-footing?"_ That phrase filled the air in the room. Major Rhodes cleared his throat and silence fell once more. "We will deploy the day after tomorrow at 2200 ET. After this meeting is adjourned, we will begin the process to call-back all personal who are on a leave of absence. You can assist in this process too by relaying this information to those who are not presently on base right now." Rhodes taped on his tablet, displaying some substance information onto the projector screen.

"Now here's the schedule and the detail schematics of our deployment." With his laser pointer, he redirected his attention to projector screen, completely ignoring the confects of murmurs and chats spewing from his audience. "The 301st Airlift Squadron will be providing us with transport…."

"Major," Captain Darlton interrupted.

"Something not clear, Alfred?" Rhodes faced the seated blonde captain.

"No sir, but if I may inquire, what will be the location of our deployment?" A question on the minds of everyone.

"That information is classified as Level 5, Captain, and as such I can't release it in this setting." Rhodes voiced was firm like his stance.

"Understood, sir." Alfred glanced away; confusion still etched on his face like many others in the room.

 _They are becoming too distracted._ Rhodes eyed the soldiers; he feared losing their attention. "I will say this….." He had to alleviate some of their worries and suspense or this meeting would be unproductive. "We will deploy first to Fort Nelson in North Dakota." Their faces lit up like flares. "After we get there, you will be brief on new information, information that can't be revealed as of now because of higher level classification."

* * *

/

After the Meeting

 _So we're deploying, huh._ Jeremiah glanced at the chatting huddle of pilots in the briefing room. Now free from this meeting and their major, many had stayed over to revisit some key points with other members.

"Hey, Jeremiah." Kewell called, waving at the glazed looking Jeremiah who was slanted against a wall. _Uhhh, not now!_ Jeremiah bemoaned inwards.

"How is it going man?" Kewell slanted next to him.

"Tired!" Jeremiah dead eyes gazed into space or whatever in front of him.

Kewell raised a brow at him. "Oh!" He had almost forgotten about her. "Hey Villetta." He waved at the dark skinned woman who was seated nearby; her eyes fixed on the pages of her booklet.

/

With Villetta not responding, his smiles waned. Slowly he retracted his hand, a tiny blush on his cheeks.

A miniscule smile appeared on Jeremiah's face. He knew about the one-sided affection his light-brown haired friend had for the quiet young woman. It was always amusing to watch him fumble over her.

/

"Hey," Kewell tried to efface the embarrassing moment that had occurred. "If you think about it Jeremiah, this will be like the first war-footing deployment for the 42nd, right?" Kewell asked the silent man.

"How should I know? I've only being here for like a year now." Jeremiah threw the question back; his deadpan gaze not even bothering to face his friend.

Kewell glared at him; his emotions boiling from Jeremiah's indifference attitude. Jeremiah sensed the frustration spewing from him. _Hm, he always hated being ignored._

/

"Yes this will be our first war-footing deployment, Officer Kewell." The 1st Captain walked over to the two; bringing his four other adoptive brothers with him.

His presence certainly dissipated Kewell's slight infuriation. "1st Captain…." Kewell stood up right and saluted; his voice edgy because of his surprise from having the 1st Captain, instead of Jeremiah, answering his question.

"It's okay, Kewell. No need for formalities when we're just chatting." Alfred's nervous hands pleaded for Kewell to stop; an uneasy smile etched on his face.

 _He's only a few years older than us._ Jeremiah thought, guessing that the blonde Darlton was probably in his mid-twenties or less.

/

"Hey Alfred…." Jeremiah detached himself from the wall. "Did the major tell you why we're suddenly being deployed?"

"Jeremiah!" Kewell barked at his turquoise haired squad-mate; stunned by his nonchalance behavior towards a senior, higher ranked officer; their second in command for goodness sake.

"What?" Jeremiah hissed in protest towards Kewell. "He said no formalities, remember?"

Alfred laughed off the exchange between the two. "It's okay Kewell. We are all in the same squadron."

/

"So do you know what's going on, Alfred?" Lockon joined the conversation with Guilford trailing behind.

The 1st Captain was the 2nd in command of the 42nd; after the Major. If anything, he should know more than them.

"I'm afraid not, fellas." Alfred eyes casted down; he looked hurt. All these years serving under the Major; he had hoped to at least gain his trust for such sensitive matters. _Maybe because of his inexperience_ , Jeremiah guessed, feeling remorse for the young man.

"Just like you, I learned about this today." Alfred smiled; a weak smile.

/

"Heeey, don't worry guys!" Bart, the Darlton with the greenish-blue hair, nudged his blonde brother in the ribs. "We will learn more as time goes on." He grinned, lightening the mood around the group. Alfred smiled back at him. The other three Darltons joined the fray.

Jeremiah watched as the five Darltons chuckled at each other's comments, dragging Guilford and Lockon into their little jests and jibes.

/

Jeremiah stared, studying the five Darltons. These five brothers were all in the same unit within the squadron. Led by their element lead and the 1st Captain of the 42nd, Alfred Darlton, they formed one of the three elements within the 42nd Squadron. Around the base, their unit was known as the Daring Darltons because of their unusual and out of norm battle formations.

Cornelia's squad—their group—formed the second element in the 42nd Squadron. It was composed of six pilots: Jeremiah, the 2nd Captain Cornelia herself, Guilford, Kewell, Lockon, and Villetta.

The last element of the 42nd Armored Infantry Squadron was led by the Major himself. He had 4 knightmare pilots under his direct command.

Collectively, these three elements of knightmare pilots combined to form the 42nd Squadron. Other personal groups were the maintenance units and other logistics teams that supported both the 16 pilots and their 4th generation Glasgows Knightmare Frames.

/

"What are you guys all giggling about?" Marika Soresi, one of the four pilots in the major's element, joined their large convention of pilots. Her three other squad-mates likewise followed, bringing almost all the knightmare pilots in the squadron together.

"Why is everyone here? What's going on?" The 16 year old asked; felt left out seeing the Darltons hanging with her brother's squad-mates.

"What are you doing here?" Kewell frowned at his younger sister, his voice very icy.

"Oh, so you own this place now Mr. Bossy Pants." Marika fired back, clutching her waist like she was the older of the two.

"I never said I own anything." Kewell sighed. "Look, no one called you here. Why don't you go somewhere else? We don't want any kids around here." He brushed his hand at her for to leave. Marika blushed profusely; her ferocious glare caused everyone nearby to panic. She was trembling with rage.

 _Here we go._ Jeremiah prepared himself for the worst.

/

"By the way," Wisely cutting in, Alfred loud voice distracted the fuming young girl. "Are you guys planning to get in touch with the 2nd captain soon?"

 _We hadn't plan on anything so far._ Jeremiah glanced at his other squad-mates; all of them glancing around at each other. Guilford stepped forward. "We were about to decide on that."

"Well, you guys should hurry on that. Remember, every squadron member will have to be here on base by 9pm tomorrow for a final check-up meeting." Alfred tapped Guilford's shoulder before departing with his brothers. "See you later guys!" Some of the Darltons waved goodbyes.

"You too." Guilford briefly waved back.

 _Wait! What about….._ Jeremiah's widened eyes stared at the vanishing Darltons. He still feared that the time bomb dubbed Marika wasn't fully defused yet.

"Tck." Marika clicked her tongue. Everyone's heart jumped. _Someone do something before it gets worse._ Jeremiah glanced around but everyone besides Villetta seemed nervous.

"Let's go guys!" Marika brushed past her brother, heading for the exit like the Darltons. "My Bossy pathetic brother won't want us here anyway."

"What did you say?" Kewell was incensed, but Marika cared less about him. With a hand, she flung her short brownish hair back at him before leaving.

/

"What just happened?" One of the pilots under the major's command mouthed in utter disbelief.

"What are you guys still waiting for?" Marika yelled beyond the door, waking everyone from their stupor. The other pilots in her squad quickly made haste for the exit; all saying goodbyes to Guilford and others.

"Bye Lockon!" Liliana, Marika's best friend, coyly waved at Lockon before leaving the room.

/

Lockon, still tense from everything, waved back. "Bye!" He said, oblivious to the incredulous looks he was receiving from his squad-mates. He watched Liliana vanish beyond the door before returning his sights back inside. But he caught the widened stares just in time. "What?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing nothing nothing." Guilford looked away, nudging his glasses higher on his nose; a tinge of pink on his cheeks.

Jeremiah snickered. "Hey, take it easy man." He gave a bro punch to Lockon who winced slightly before smiling back at him.

"Well," Kewell crossed his arms. "As long as it's not Marika, I'm fine with it." He looked away to hid his embarrassment.

 _What? What the heck is wrong with him?_ Jeremiah stared at his best friend like he had spoken alien; confused by the man's nature. _He argues with her yet he doesn't want anyone dating her?_

"You really are a Bossy Pant." Villetta spoke for the first time; her cold tone attracted everyone's attention. She had been reading her tiny booklet the entire time; almost like a ghost in the room.

"Uh…." Kewell gaped at her; his mouth wide like a whale. He was at lost with words. He stood there, frozen. His face looked wounded; like the love of his life had just betrayed him by stabbing his heart with an icy spiked spear.

Jeremiah giggled. "Are you okay, man!" His giggles turned into laughter. Villetta was not one known to converse very often, thus hearing her criticize his friend, who had a one-sided affection for her, made his day.

"STOP LAUGPHING YOU DAMMIT!" Kewell burst out at the slouching Jeremiah who had grabbed his ribs in laughter.

"Hey hey hey, guys." Guilford tried to placate the irate Kewell. "We should decide on our next moves."

"Okay then, who's going to brief Cornelia on this?" Villetta closed her booklet upon her question; her golden eyes firmly pointed at the bespectacled co-captain.

"Cornelia?" Guilford seemed at loss for words; Villetta's blunt question had taken him off guard. He glanced away from her to hide his pinkish cheeks.

Jeremiah, wiping a tear from his eye, didn't miss his co-captain's expression. The mentioning of their 2nd Captain's name had unraveled him. _He's too obvious._

/

"Well there's only one thing to do…." Lockon grabbed the blushing bespectacled man by the shoulder, bringing him closer.

"Hey what are you….." Lockon tight lips smiled at the stunned Guilford, silencing his protest.

"Only one person is fit to brief the captain and that's the co-captain, himself." Lockon's tight-lip smiled widened.

"What…but…" More blood rushed to Guilford's cheeks. Lockon was right, but Guilford seemed unease by this proposition. _At this rate, Cornelia won't be briefed properly._

/

"Huh!" Villetta just looked away from the spectacle between the two. Jeremiah didn't miss her fatigue expression. _I guess she knows it too._ Jeremiah snickered. _Why won't she?_ Villetta was the intellect among them.

Jeremiah had always assumed that the withdrawn, usually mute, bluish-teal haired woman didn't understand the intricacies of romance. But that assumption was false. _Wait! Could it be that she's aware about Kewell's feelings?_ Jeremiah stared at Villetta who was gazing at some empty space in the room. _Is she?_ He questioned himself.

/

The wrestling sounds between Guilford and Lockon finally reached his conscious. _I should end this._ He glanced at them and stood straight and proper. "Lockon is right!" The two froze and joined everyone else in staring at Jeremiah like he had stain on his face. "You should be the one to inform the princess, Guilford."

"But…" Guilford looked away.

"Don't worry, I will accompany you." Jeremiah tapped his chest; again earning another bewildering gawks from everyone.

But Lockon's gaping mouth closed and turned into a smile. His smirk met Jeremiah's. He sensed where this was heading. "Well I guess it's decided now." He pushed Guilford away from his clutches and towards Jeremiah.

"But I…" The young co-captain tried to counter, but a hand clutched his shoulder. "Well, we should get moving co-captain." Jeremiah stood next to him, a devilish grin cemented on his face.

Guilford sighed and drooped his head; the sign of his resignation.

* * *

/

* * *

At the Villa, Imperial District

"Come on Euphie. What do you mean no?" Cornelia whined to her little sister. She clutched the door knob, wrestling with it to unlock Euphie's door.

"No means no Cornelia and go away! You are not coming into my room." Euphemia sounded aggressive but her voice was drained out by the loud banging on her door. Sooner or later, Cornelia would break her door.

"I just want some sister bonding with my cute little princess." Cornelia was now forced to woo Euphie. Anyone else and she would be puking, but Euphie was special.

However, her wooing had rarely worked in the past, so employing it was an act of desperation. She had to try something short of breaking the door.

"No! Go away! I'm busy." Yep, her wooing had failed her once more. Euphie wasn't budging.

"Come on little sis…." She whined again, but Euphie didn't respond.

"Euphie! Euphemia!" Cornelia banged on the door, but not a sound from the other side. _Is she trying to ignore me now?_

Cornelia decided to switch to plan B. Leaving the door; she returned a minute later with a hairpin sized metal in her hand.

"Euphieeee…." She cooed her name loudly and heard a long sigh of exasperation from inside.

"Can't we just chat a little?" Cornelia grabbed the door knob, inserting the hairpin into the knob's tiny keyhole.

"I'm busy. We can talk later so GO AWAY!"

Euphie's yelling sailed over Cornelia's ears; her thoughts only focused on the door knob. The hairpin was already inserted. All she needed was for it to lodge in the right spot inside the knob to unlock this wooden barrier.

Cornelia wrestled with the handle a few times, trying force something to happen, but every attempt left her gritting her teeth in frustration. Prying the locks of this door knob was unusually difficult. _Did she change the knob?_ She wondered since unlike so many times in the past, she had no trouble prying this open. _Why is this taking so long?_ This knob would have being unlocked by now. Of course, each time she made sure Euphie had no knowledge about her break-in.

"Euphie, I haven't spent time with you like in 6 months. Can't we….mm…." She fought with the knob. "….can't we just hang out a bit…. _damn it, this is tough."_ She hissed the _italics_ under her breath. She struggled to wrench the door open.

"First of, we did spend time together when you first arrived a week ago and second, it's not like you will be leaving anytime soon. We'll spend more time together, just not right now." Euphie's words flew over Cornelia's ears.

"Come oooooon Euphie!" Cornelia droned more like a child in tantrums while simultaneously, she fought to unlock the knob.

"NO!" Euphie sounded even more aggressive; signs of frustration in her voice. "And stop trying to break my door!"

" _Damn it…..almost got it."_ Cornelia hissed again, ignoring her sister's pleas. Feeling very close to conquering this lock, she tried harder.

 _Come on._ Cornelia felt the knob's locks through her pin. _Yes, almost there._

"Stop trying to break my door!" Euphie protested.

 _Okay I have to distract her._ Cornelia hatched up a plan. "Why….why can't it be now? What are you doing that is soooo important?" She pushed against the knob. "What are you doing in there? OH MY GOD!" Cornelia feigningly sounded alarmed. "Are you doing something INNAPPROPIATE?" She purposely raised her voice.

Sticking an ear to the door, she listened in for Euphie's reaction.

"WHAT…..NO…..EWWWW!" Euphie sounded skittish. Cornelia felt the blush on her sister's face. A smile etched on her face, she enjoyed teasing the pink mane chick. Euphie continued to throws fits inside; shocked that Cornelia would accuse her off something unladylike as that. Cornelia, herself, understood the times when her womanhood would crave for something. During those moments, her room was her only sanctuary and locking the door to prevent any accidental intrusion was very prudent.

 _Has she reached that age?_ She wondered. Euphie had always been obsessed about Lady Marianne's son. Maybe with him shipped to Japan, leaving her unable to spend time with him, this was her way of escaping the reality; the reality that her puppy love might never bear fruit.

Cornelia felt a click, her eyes widened. _YES!_ She screamed mentally. Twisting the knob, her smile widened. The door was unlocked.

* * *

/

"That is so gross Cornelia. How could you…." Euphie was still in shock, didn't even notice Cornelia standing behind her. Cornelia noticed that her laptop was faced up and powered on; a web-browser filled the screen.

"You know you're too young to be using make-ups, right?" Cornelia's voice sounded very close, like she was inside…

Euphie turned around to find Cornelia sitting on her desk. She shrieked like she had seen a ghost. "What…how….…how did you get in here?" Her frozen enlarged eyes stared at her older sister who was scrolling through a webpage, the one she was just….."HEY!" Euphie screamed. "Don't touch my computer!" She tried to reach it but an arm from Cornelia kept her at bay.

"If you want to use make-ups so bad, you should really talk to mom about it. She would be happy to help." Cornelia's eyes were sifting through the webpage. She was barely exerting any force yet she kept Euphie away.

"Huh." Euphie sighed and ceased her struggling. "What do you want, Cornelia?"

Cornelia closed the laptop abruptly; her tight-lips leered at the scowling chick. "Come on, I just wanted some bonding time with you."

Euphie blew a strand of her rose-pink mane that was dangling in front of her. "Can't you see I was busy?"

"What?" Cornelia pointed to the laptop. "Shopping for make-up? Pfff….if you want I can show how to put make-up on?"

"Really?" Euphie eyes woke up, her face lighted up with a smile.

"Yes!" Cornelia smiled back; her eyes closed. "But…." She held her index finger out. "You have to tell me who is it for?"

Euphie looked confused. "Who?" She glanced to the side; her fingers fidgeting. "What do you mean?" The sun's rays hid the tiny blush on her face.

Cornelia edged closer. "I'm not a kid Euphie." Her smile was gone, but her face still looked soft and sweet. She wasn't angry or if she was, Euphie couldn't tell.

"That's debatable." Euphie joked, earning a tiny smile from Cornelia's pink lips.

"Okay then, I guess you won't be using my make-up and mom certainly won't let you buy anything." Cornelia was right. No matter how laid back Olivia was, she definitely wasn't going to allow her to use cosmetics.

"Okay, I will tell." Euphie pleaded. "But promise me that you won't laugh?"

"When have I ever…." Cornelia clutched Euphie's tiny hands. Euphie enjoyed Cornelia's soft palms; she was rubbing her knuckles with them.

Euphie's blushed deepened. She glanced away before muttering. "Lelouch." Cornelia's gripped tightened. Euphie was taken aback by her sister's reaction. Facing her, Euphie was stunned to find a trickle of tear sliding down from one eye. "Cornelia…" Euphie gawked; her words lodged down inside her throat.

Cornelia let go to wipe the tear. "Huh, I guess you miss him too right?" She laughed it off. "Sorry about that, Euphie." Cornelia stared at the still stunned Euphie. "I don't know what came over me."

"Are you….are you okay?" Euphie touched her hand.

"I'm fine." Cornelia smiled sincerely. Euphie beamed back, but worried in the back of her mind.

"But you know if you want to help me, then bake some cookies with me." Cornelia revealed her wish.

Any other moment and Euphie would have said no, but right now, Cornelia seemed very fragile. "Sure, I won't mind." She gave in.

"Great!" Cornelia jumped from the seat. "Well, let's get moving." She headed for the door.

"Wait!" Euphie halted her. "There's one more issue at hand." She got up from her bed.

Cornelia faced her properly, her brows furrowed. "What is it?"

"The door…" Euphie pointed at it.

"Huh!"

"How did you open the door?"

"Oh that,…pfff…." Cornelia waved it off. "Don't worry about."

"Of course, I'm going to worry." Euphie clenched her fist. "If you can open my door then….then…."

"It's just a trick, I learned in the military." Cornelia grinned at the troubled 11 year old. "Don't worry I won't do it again."

"You're lying." Euphie pouted.

"Awww, you are so cute." Cornelia cooed her; pouting back at her likewise.

"Stop messing with me." Euphie crossed her arms and glanced away, reddish blemishes evident on her cheeks. _She's messing with me. She's totally messing with me._ She continued to pout; her heated face looking elsewhere away from Cornelia.

"If you keep getting angry, you're gonna ruin your cute little face and Lelouch won't like you." Cornelia teased.

"That's not true. That won't happen." Euphie faced Cornelia, her voice trembling with denial.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." Cornelia walked out, leaving the nervous blushing princess staring at the back of her purple pony-tail.

* * *

/

* * *

Thanks for reading it!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

Short chapter… **READ, ENJOY** and **REVIEW.** Thanks for the reviews and support from last chapter.

 **P.S. I wished I owned Code Geass, but I don't.**

P.P.S. I will fix any grammar errors as I see them.

* * *

 **Chapter 2: TWO versus ONE**

* * *

Around August, 2010

Kaguya's heart thumped as she watched the fight that was ensuing. It was a struggle between her sensei and his two students under the morning white sun.

The sensei grabbed one of the students by his shirt collar and tossed him into the air. The brown haired student—falling on his back—flipped in the air in order to land on his feet.

The other student who had been preparing to strike was subsequently kicked in the abdomen by the sensei. The strong push kick launched the ebony mane boy into the air, towards the other student. Unable to shift himself while in the air to land properly, the young boy instead crashed into the dusty ground. His small body skidded across the ground for several feet; brushing dusts into the air before resting near the brown haired student.

Kaguya clutched her chest tightly, mangling her white kimono. Seeing the black haired student skidding across the ground was very unbearable. _Is he okay?_ She mused.

She watched as the foreigner prop his back off the ground; an elbow pillared to the ground for support. The boy coughed several times while fanning the dust air away from his face.

Kaguya stared at the two students and then her sensei. They've been at it for several minutes in the open space outside the dojo. Already the two students looked drained; their body perspiring with sweat and bathed in dirt. Try as they might, they were no match for the grown Japanese man she called her sensei.

"Dammit Suzaku, let's give up!" The black haired student—the western prince as the maids called him—cried out to her cousin.

"No!" Her determined cousin yelled back; his fierce eyes locked on sensei Tohdoh. "All you know is giving up when it gets tough. Well you can quit for all I care, but don't ever tell me to quit, you weak pompous prince." Suzaku spat against the foreigner who was kneeing on the ground for a breather.

His words enraged the young ebony haired prince. "Fuck you!" The prince spat back; his teeth gritting at Suzaku.

/

Kaguya watched from the wooden porch as their discords continued. It worried her. Her cousin never seemed to get along with the Britannian prince.

"If you boys wanna fight each other, then please go ahead." Sensei Tohdoh interrupted their verbal quarrelling. "I'll just take this session as my victory and you two can start sweeping the compound and wiping the dojo's floor."

The two ceased their bickering and focused on the sensei; his words had woken their senses.

"Now, are you ready to forfeit this challenge?" Tohdoh asked the two, but the two young boys glared back at him with such ferocity that Kaguya shrieked in fear. _Why is Sensei Tohdoh doing this?_ She asked herself, wondering why her tutor was pushing them too hard.

Kaguya stared at this _challenge_ that was encircled around her sensei. It was an eight feet diameter circle inscribed on the dirt and Tohdoh sensei stood in the center.

The challenge laid by Tohdoh sensei was quite simple at best; force him out of that circle and victory was theirs. How the two achieved this was unimportant, but ultimately they needed to have him outside the boundary of this circle; any part of his body outside and the challenge was won; even a foot on the dirt circle itself was fine.

Despite its simplicity, the two had barely managed to force a sweat from the man. _How can they? Tohdoh Sensei is a master earth bender._ And a military general. He was already feared as one of the strongest in the Japanese army. Kaguya felt the odds were hugely stacked against the two 10 year olds facing her sensei. She stared at the two silent boys; their clothes mangled with dirt and wet from their sweat.

Her cousin, however, seemed fine, mentally. He looked poised for another round, but the prince with a knee on the ground seemed ready to throw in the towel. He was the more battered of the two and it caused great pain in her chest.

"Sensei please!" Kaguya pleaded; her greenish eyes became soft with worry and her hand clutched her flat-chest to ease the pain within. But Tohdoh paid no heed to her; his fierce sights were firmly on the two boys. "So, what's your answer?" He bellowed at them.

Kaguya returned her sights to them.

"Listen," Suzaku spoke softly; his head drooped low, causing his eyes to be obscured by his brownish bangs. "Ever since you came here, I've had to clean this place more times than I can remember." His words were towards the prince behind him. "I don't want to sweep this compound and I don't want to lose again to sensei." Suzaku clenched his hands; his eyes, ferocious as a beast.

His resolve had stunned the prince who was gaping slightly at him. Kaguya watched as Lelouch slowly rose to his feet. He wiped a smirch near his lips. "Okay, I have a plan." He muttered to Suzaku.

/

Kaguya couldn't discern what they were whispering but she was stunned to see them conversing with each other so calmly. _Are they planning something?_ It felt like they were. Nonetheless, their unlikely cooperation brought a tiny smirk on Tohdoh sensei's face. _Was that why he was pushing them? To force them to work together?_ Kaguya wondered as she gazed at her sensei. He seemed to be giving them time to work something out.

After the two were done mouthing to each other, they stood there silently, eying their sensei with great determination.

"Are they going to attack?"Kaguya asked the empty space that surrounded her in the wooden pouch that was part of the dojo. But the two did the opposite. They ran away, jumping into the bushes that surrounded the large open backyard belonging to the dojo.

* * *

 _Fucking Suzaku. Why is he so hell bent on beating Tohdoh?_ Lelouch bemoaned in his head while he stayed hidden, crouched behind a tree.

Sweat beads dribbled down from his forehead; one trickling down along the line of his nose only to form a droplet hanging from the tip of his nose. His ragged breath was somewhat quiet compared to his thumping heartbeat. His violet eyes were firmly on the grown Japanese man ahead.

 _It doesn't matter now. We have to do this. I too am sick and tired of cleaning this place._ Lelouch reminded himself of the rewards from wining this challenge, but also it reminded him of how much he despised this place.

Unofficially banished from home, this shrine had been his home for more than a year now. But the past six months had been the most dreadful and it was all due to Kyoshiro Tohdoh. His appearance was the worst thing to have happened since his time here. There was never a day Lelouch could relax anymore. Every day was doing was of these: training, exercising, cleaning, hiking, everything Lelouch despised, especially being forced to wake-up early. He hated that man for trying to turn him into that naïve brawn idiot called Suzaku.

/

Lelouch kept his gaze on Tohdoh, silently observing the fierce looking man who was out there in the open. His eyes were shut and arms, firmly tucked to the sides of his black hakama shorts. Tohdoh's black hair was combed nicely in a slick-back style; his heavy dark brows furrowed along with his forehead. He seemed to be in deep thought even with his eyes shut, like he was waiting, listening to his environment.

Lelouch felt alarmed observing him. Tohdoh seemed very poised and calm; almost too calm, like he could see everything around him; even the hidden young prince.

Lelouch sensed it; his gut sensed that their plan won't work. He couldn't shake the feeling that Kyoshiro Tohdoh had seen through their plot and was simply waiting for them to make a move.

 _No!_ Lelouch shook his head. _This is going to work._

A gust of wind blew across the open, kicking dust of the ground around Tohdoh. The dust wind swirled around his black hakama shorts and Lelouch took the wind as their signal. _Now Suzaku_ ,he screamed in his head, hoping Suzaku—hidden somewhere—would take the wind as a signal to act. And like that Suzaku sprinted into action.

* * *

It was silent, very silent around the open. The two, after what seemed to be the start of an alliance against Tohdoh sensei, turned their heels around and dashed off into the surrounding bushes and trees.

 _Where are they?_ Kaguya wondered. Had sensei's students given up and deserted his challenge? Kaguya glanced at her tutor. The grown man was soundlessly standing in his circle; his eyes shut to the world. He didn't seem alarmed like Kaguya was. Maybe he had faith that they would never abandon his challenge. _Well, they would be in trouble for ditching his session._ Kaguya remembered the punishment Lelouch had endured one time for not showing up and sleeping in.

And just like that, one of them came out of hiding.

* * *

Jumping out of some bushes, Suzaku burst into a sprint towards Tohdoh. The young Japanese native then leaped very high into the air. Suspended in the air, he twirled around, swinging his leg around to create some momentum and with that power; he kicked out a solid burst of air. The visible force of wind headed straight for the closed sights, stationery Tohdoh.

Unfazed, Tohdoh brought one of his forearms to front and the spinning ball of wind crashed into it; causing a deafening sound all around the open. The dust settled and it seemed like the attack had barely manage to pushback against Tohdoh's stance.

 _Damn!_ Suzaku clicked his tongue as he was now falling back down. Brandishing a kunai blade, he swung his arm before throwing the weapon with great speed. The black knife pierced through the air; its intent was to cause great harm to the man in front. Tohdoh opened his eyes and coolly swerved his upper body out of the way. The blade flew past harmlessly. Tohdoh calmly watched as Suzaku parachuted back down.

/

Now kneeing on the ground, Suzaku's hands dug into the pouch strapped on his back waist, _Well, that didn't work so I guess I will move on to the next plan._ Suzaku unveiled more kunai blades and a couple of shuriken blades; they filled both his hands.

"Get ready sensei!" Suzaku muttered under his breath before readying himself. Kicking out dust, he dashed straight towards Tohdoh; the man not even taking a battle stance.

Nearing him, Suzaku threw all his blades and ninja stars; the four black blades and the two ninja star blades raced towards their prey, covering all conceivable spots the target might try to evade.

Tohdoh, still calm as ever, grabbed the lead kunai that headed for his forehead; the blade was inches from his skin. Quickly flipping the sharp object between his fingers, he used it to deflect the three more kunai blades that were bound to make contact with him. The remaining two shuriken blades, unthreatening him, flew past him.

"Suzaku," Tohdoh called him. "I am very unimpressed." He said but then his eyes widened when he spotted the glint of a thread besides him, no there were two strings of threads beside him; one on each side. The thin black wires traced back to Suzaku. They were wrapped around his hands.

Suzaku smirked. Tohdoh had missed the wire strings attached to the shuriken blades that flew past him. Even though he had noticed them now, it was too late.

Quickly getting to work, Suzaku swung his hands around, controlling the shurikens with the strings in his hands. The two ninja stars blades crossed path and flew back around Tohdoh. The sensei could only watch as the blades encircled him, wrapping him in metallic thin wire strings like a spider weaving his silk around a prey.

Once out of threads, the two shurikens anchored themselves to the ground and Suzaku tied the ones in his hands to a kunai before nailing it to the ground. Tohdoh was left immobilized. But the man never looked panic.

It alarmed Suzaku but nevertheless he had done his part. "NOW!" He screamed for the prince hidden somewhere. Lelouch leapt from the bushes, almost out of Tohdoh's view, but the sensei turned his head to gain a view of him.

* * *

Kaguya had been gawking from the scene before. Her cousin had managed to wrap her sensei with wire strings, pinning his hands to his body and anchoring him to where he stood. Now Lelouch was running towards the trapped teacher. It looked the students had turned the tables.

/

Lelouch jumped high into the air. "BOOST ME SUZAKU!" He screamed to the 10 year old boy.

Kaguya didn't understand the meaning behind the foreigner's word, but her cousin did. Suzaku straightened his stance and extended his left arm out like he was reaching for the prince. He then traced his left hand up and down in circular patterns. Suddenly a flush of wind formed around his moving hand.

Kaguya's eyes enlarged. She recognized Suzaku's move. He was fanning the air around his hand to make… "…a tornado." She whispered.

Suzaku's moving hand churned winds around his wrist. Abruptly he thrust his hand forward, pushing the rotating wind away from him. The vortex wind snaked towards Lelouch who was now falling back down. The wind cyclone grew larger as it snaked towards the prince in the air.

"What's going on?" Kaguya asked; confused about why her cousin had conjured up a tornado only to have it directed towards Lelouch. _Did he mess up?_ She feared for Lelouch.

But once the 10 year old Britannian made contact with the tornado, it kept him afloat.

/

Kaguya took to her feet to gawk at the spectacle in the air. A cyclone wind had ferried Lelouch to heights almost the same as their three stories high dojo. He stood high, looking down on Tohdoh sensei with a smile that said he had won.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…..

* * *

 **A/N** : Never planned for this to end like this but classes are about to start and I wanted to get something posted before it did.


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